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MIDDLE TOWNSHIP - Rich Tierney purchased his piece of land at the Bay Cove Resort when it opened 20 years ago.

At the time, condominium parks - seasonal campgrounds where people own their properties and live in recreational vehicles or "park model" trailers - were all the rage.

That hasn't changed.

"It seems like (condo properties) don't stay on the market too long," said Tierney, who lives in Wildwood when Bay Cove is closed for the winter. "It's the price, the location and the environment."

It's also a time when red-hot shore properties are failing to sell like they did a few years ago, while average home prices in southeastern New Jersey are on the rise, according to housing figures from the fourth quarter of 2007.

But holding up in this roller-coaster market are home sales in condo parks, say park managers and real estate agents, because of their "getaway affordability" and proximity to sand and surf.

"With the buyers' market right now, we have seen an increase in the sale of condominium sites," said Jay Otto, executive director of the New Jersey Campground Owner's Association in Cape May Court House. "The big development in condo parks happened in the '80s, and those owners are dying off or getting older, so they're selling their properties or passing them on to relatives."

Not for flipping

While the housing market is cyclical in nature, condo parks seem to thrive in their own unique bubble, said Realtor Linda Williams. That's because buying and selling is dictated by availability: New condo park building is virtually non-existent, while current property owners are holding on to their sites for the long haul.

"People don't buy them to flip them. They're buying it because they're the most affordable way to have a place at the shore," said Williams, of Coldwell Banker James C. Otton Real Estate in Middle Township. "You can't buy a condo in Wildwood for $100,000."

There are about seven properties for sale among the 307 total at the 44-acre Bayberry Cove Condominium in the Marmora section of Upper Township. The homes are lined up in neat rows that afford owners views of wooded backdrops and lakes with sandy beaches.

One property owner is selling a one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit for $150,000. Another unit with a gas fireplace and storage shed is priced at $199,000. The lot sizes are more than 2,200 square feet.

Compare that to the median price of homes along the coast: Sea Isle City homes average $650,000, while Ocean City homes are about $641,655.

"The prices here are doable," said Bayberry Cove's General Manager David Prichett. "The islands are out of control. We're still reasonable."

Although prices at Bayberry have been climbing, too, said Edie Cannata, a Marmora Realtor involved with Bayberry Cove since it opened in 1985.

"We're in a tough real estate market, and some of the prices at Bayberry are reflecting the real real estate market," said Cannata, who has plans to close on two properties there for new homeowners.

Luxury lodges

One of the newest condo resorts in New Jersey is called Laurel Pond, in Upper Freehold Township, Monmouth County.

The 75-acre park is unique in that people not only buy properties there, but can also rent them out.

Also, unlike condo parks that are closed in the winter, property owners can check into Laurel Pond at any time - they just can't stay longer than 10 weeks per calendar year.

The cost for an RV site is $97,500, while cabin-style homes - called "luxury wilderness lodges" - range from $139,500 to $197,500.

There are more than 220 sites at the resort. Twenty-seven have been sold, with eight sales pending, said Steven D. Catalano, president of Laurel Pond's developer, S.D. Walker Inc., and the grandson of company founder Samuel DeBow Walker, a major developer of Brigantine and North Wildwood in the 1940s.

With less than a 25-mile drive to the shore, Catalano said, the resort is a convenient getaway: "Nobody needs the embrace of Mother Nature like stressed-out people in New Jersey," he said.

Tierney, the Bay Cove Resort resident, has liked the condo park lifestyle so much he agreed to serve as the park's operations manager.

Over the years, he's made improvements to his one-bedroom unit. He paid $46,000 for it in 1988, and now says his total property is worth more than double that amount.

"I have no desire to go anywhere else," Tierney added. "At night, you can see all the stars. It's a marvelous sight."

To e-mail Erik Ortiz at The Press:

EOrtiz@pressofac.com